DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Savannah State University softball team (13-17, 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) swept the doubleheader Saturday against Bethune-Cookman University (5-23, 0-3 MEAC) winning game one 4-3 and game two 4-1 to sweep the three-game road series at Sunnyland Park.
 
Junior right fielder Alexis Singleton led SSU going 4-for-8 (.500) with two runs scored in both games, while senior second baseman Antonette Smith and catcher Tia Bolden each batted .400 (2-for-5) with a run scored and Bolden hit a solo home run to record a slugging percentage of 1.000.
 
Freshman third baseman Cortni Jones batted .375 (3-for-8) with two home runs and four RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.125.
 
On the mound, junior pitcher Amanda Hallman pitched 9.0 innings giving up one earned run scattering four hits with six strikeouts, holding opponents to a .129 batting average while picking a win and a save.  Ashley Eichenlaub gave up one earned run in 4.1 innings pitched and picked up a win.
 
Savannah State 4, Bethune-Cookman 3
Jones led SSU going 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBIs and two home runs, while Singleton went 2-for-4 and Bolden went 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a home run.  Eichenlaub (2-5) picked up the win pitching 4.1 innings giving up one run on four hits, while Hallman recorded her first save of the season pitching the final two shutouts innings without giving up a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
 
Savannah State broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning by scoring two runs off of Jones' home run to left field for a 2-0 lead.
 
Bethune-Cookman scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead after five innings after a two-run double and RBI single with two outs.
 
Jones led off the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field, her second of the game, and was followed up by Bolden's home run to left field on a full count to give the Lady Tigers the one run win.
 
Hallman came in and shut the door on any rally by the Lady Wildcats by only allowing a two out walk in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
The Lady Wildcats were led by Annie Bakenhus, Mariah Davis, Iseha Waters, Brianna Sanders and Kaitlin Alamprese with one hit each, while Waters recorded a run scored and two RBIs, Sanders recorded an RBI and Bakenhus and Davis each scored.
 
Savannah State 4, Bethune-Cookman 1
Singleton led SSU going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while left fielder Chasney Jenkins and Jones recorded a hit and an RBI and Smith went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Hallman went the distance on the mound giving up an earned run on four hits with four strikeouts.
 
The Lady Tigers broke a scoreless tie in the top of the second inning with two runs to lead 2-0 after two innings.  Hallman started the inning with a single to left field and after a fly out to center field, Hallman advanced to second on a passed ball.  After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Smith singled home Hallman for the first run of the game. 
 
Sophomore Shelby Eccles singled to first base to advanced Smith to second with two outs.  Jenkins singled up the middle to bring home Smith and advanced Eccles to second, but a strikeout ended the top of the second inning.
 
The Lady Tigers added another run in the top of the third inning after Jones singled to left center to bring in Singleton, who singled to right field to start the inning.
 
The Lady Wildcats scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with an RBI single to left field to cut SSU's lead to 3-1.
 
Savannah State scored the final run of the game in the top of the seventh inning to capture the three run win.  After a groundout to third base to start the inning, Singleton singled to the shortstop and Wright reached on error by the first baseman to bring home Singleton and advanced to second on the throw to home.  After a strikeout and a pop up to second base ended the top of the seventh inning.
 
B-CU went three-up and three-down in the bottom of the seventh to avoid any rally by the Lady Wildcats.

The Lady Wildcats were led Sanders going 2-for-4 at the plate, while Waters and Wanda Darby each recorded a hit and Waters recorded the RBI and Darby scored.
 
The Lady Tigers return to action next weekend traveling to Durham, N.C., to face North Carolina Central University (3-28, 0-3 MEAC) starting with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
 
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